Reclaim Your Body: It's Never Too Late To Change!

Having a reliable support system is often crucial when one is trying to make a big change in their life. For Bill and Lavinia Trudell that support came from each other.

Lavinia knew that in order to get her compulsive eating under control she had to first admit that there was a problem and then trust herself enough to make the necessary changes to her lifestyle. And with Bill by her side she did just that.

Read on to see how Lavinia conquered her demons and shed 36 pounds and check out Bill's transformation story Here.

Vital Stats

Name: Lavinia Kirdani

Email: Lavinia.Kirdani@gmail.com

Bodyspace: LKirdani

Why I Got Started

I have always struggled with my weight. In Middle School, my weight soared and every year I was heavier until finally freshman year in high school I was 160 pounds at 5-foot-3.

I went on a diet after being yelled at by the pediatrician telling me I was a "sneak eater" and a "liar." This verbal assault, although truthful, impacted me.

In my freshman year, I lost 60 pounds, going from a size 16 to a size 5 juniors. My parents became worried, as they should have, since I was borderline anorexic. The physical and emotional effects have been with me to this day, altering my perception of how I see myself physically and becoming an emotional or stress eater.

On again, off again dieting was common. During my early twenties, I was the perfect weight, mid 120s. In the 70s weight training seemed more for boys, so I ran and played other types of recreational sports.

After having two beautiful girls and a marriage that lasted almost 20 years, I gained all the weight back and was topping out in the high 150s again. Juggling a career, children and marriage, my health was my lowest priority, as is common for women.

Someone once described to me the "boiled frog" metaphor. That is, if you put a frog in boiling water he jumps out immediately; however, if he is put into cool water that is heated up gradually, he will happily stay in the pot until he is cooked. This describes my life and weight issues.

It was all too gradual and before I knew it I was very overweight. Unhealthy daily rituals like turning to food for comfort, rationalizing why I can't exercise, looking at my body through a dysfunctional filter and telling myself that I still had a waist and comparing myself to others all contributed to my condition.

Thinking and rationalizing that one more scoop of ice cream wouldn't make a difference was subtle.

If it wasn't for meeting Bill, the man of my dreams I might add, I would have not realized I had a food addiction.

He identified this in me because he is a recovering alcoholic, attending AA and sober for now almost three years, and he also had issues with food. He told me I was addicted to food.

I felt angry because I saw my life as such a challenge already, "Why couldn't I have a little something I enjoyed?" Bill saw how beautiful I was on the inside that I finally felt the love and support I needed to make the change.

We both started to get up earlier and exercise. Some things you know you just have to do and putting it off doesn't make sense any longer.

How I Did It

The first phase was learning how to get up in the morning to exercise. Work starts at 8 a.m. for me. Getting up at 5:15 seems early, everything has to be like clockwork to do cardio for 30 min and weights for 20 min.

At the beginning I did this 5-6 days/week. I saw results but the food issue was huge for me and tied into self-esteem issues that were buried in my childhood. Getting to the root cause of food addiction was going to be the key to change. It's all about how you think.

I still ate dessert at night. I knew I had to eat smaller meals, cut the carbs and eat clean. When Bill and I started to live together I saw how his diet wasn't helping him either.

We made a lot of dietary changes. But for me, bad carbs were the enemy and I had too many good carbs to make up for the loss of the "bad." This is another thing that is a trap for women. Too much is too much no matter what the food.

I lost my first 20 pounds that year. It was slow but I kept up the exercise and in the summer joined a spinning class that I really enjoyed.

I attended at least four times a week and lifted weight three times. By the end of the summer I had lost my first two inches off my hips.

The second phase was my weight loss taking off. My sister, Dr. Leila Kirdani at the Center for Optimum Health in Rochester, NY is an anti-aging doctor.

In January of 2011 she had told me that she was introducing a new weight loss system to her clinic. Typically, she had a variety of bio-identical hormone and supplement treatments for her patients.

Now she was going to introduce the HCG diet. HCG is a hormone that tells the body to release only fat to feed the baby when in utero. It is natural and has been widely tested, for further information, see her website: www.professional-nutrition-services.com.

Well, if there was a magic bullet in my life it was this diet!

I was ready for this commitment emotionally and physically. By mid-February I lost 13 lbs. in three weeks. My hips went from a 39-1/2 to 37-1/2. I transitioned off the diet and have kept the weight off!

I am no longer addicted to sugar or ice cream. Currently, I am on the last regimen of HGC, my goal weight is in the low 120s. The maintenance phase of the diet teaches a new way of eating, portion control and the right combinations of healthy food.

Supplements

My sister Dr. Leila recommends 90 grams of protein for me every day. She says that one of the reasons women can't lose weight is because we do not eat enough protein.

The supplements I take the bare minimum at this point:

With Morning Meal & Mid-Day Snack:

• Whey Protein Complex: 1 scoop

Or

• CytoSport Muscle Milk: 1 scoop

Or

• Designer Whey: 1 scoop

Morning:

• Multivitamin: 2 caps
• Vitamin D-3: 1000iu
• Vitamin B Complex 100: 1 cap

Morning & Evening:

• Liquid alfalfa: 1 dropper

I love Vanilla Muscle Milk in my coffee in the morning. It tastes like French Vanilla and I have eliminated all dairy out of my diet.

For me, dairy causes inflammation and I feel clean and light without it.

Diet

Meal 1:

• 1 whole egg, 3 egg whites
• 1 slice Ezekiel Bread with 2 tsp Peanut Butter
• 1 cup Coffee with Muscle Milk used as creamer

Meal 2:

• 6 oz grilled chicken
• 1 handful Salad Greens (field mix, cucumbers, broccoli)
• Balsamic Vinegar

Meal 3:

• 1 scoop Whey Protein Complex

Meal 4:

• 6 oz Meat or Fish
• 1 cup steamed Veggies (green, non-starchy)
• ½ cup Brown Rice or Yams (optional)
• 1/2 cup Melon or Berries

Meal 5:

• 8 cooked Shrimp with Lemon
• A few Peanut Butter balls

Training

Day 1: Light Cardio/Abs

Day 2: Rest

Day 3: Legs/Abs

Day 4: Light Cardio/Abs

Day 5: Rest

Day 6: Light Cardio/Abs

Day 7: Upper Body/Abs

Training for me is more of a stress reducer/anti-aging regimen, I don't plan on competing.

While taking HCG, you cannot exercise, so working with my new thinner body is going to produce faster results by tightening skin and seeing muscle development without the layer of fat.

Suggestions for Others

Realize that weight loss and adapting to a healthy life style takes mental effort and patience. It is all in your head you can make up your mind to do anything. Don't listen to self-defeating thoughts.

Part of my mind (ego) still likes to play with me and tell me what it would rather do. Many of my beliefs stem from my self-concept that was formed in childhood. Do whatever it takes to get un-stuck from negative beliefs.

It may mean seeing a therapist, life coach, reading books and journaling, etc, so take action. Keep focused and celebrate every time you make a small progress.

Eat as clean and healthy as you can.

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